Why Learn Hebrew?

Hello friends,

We're still in Israel, having adventure after adventure. Olivia's blog is still the place to go for updates and pictures, so check it out. We're having a lot of fun together, even when things don't go according to plan. Today (for example) we tried to meet some friends of mine for coffee and failed miserably! But, it still turned out to be a good day.

I've decided that I really need to get serious about language learning. I knew some Hebrew before I moved to Africa with the IMB, but my Swahili lessons completely eclipsed all former language learning. Bonjour French! Adios Spanish! Antio Greek! L'hitraot Hebrew! Since then, I've been putting it off, but there was a reason I took those languages to begin with, especially the biblical languages.

I want to teach God's Word. I can do this in English, of course, and be a good teacher. Many of the translations we have available in English are very accurate, and almost all of them communicate the general idea of the text. If I use a couple of these good translations in my study, I can gain some cross-referencing benefits. I can also use a Concordance to discover what other passages talk about the same words or ideas in English. If I gain a basic understanding of Lexicons and Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries I can take it a step further. But, if I can learn the languages themselves, then I can add my own study and insights to these tools. I can communicate more directly with the actual words as they were given to us, with far less human interpretation.

Also, I want to get as close as I can to the heart of God. Every book in our Bible (besides Luke/Acts) was written by a Jew (a descendant of the Hebrew Abraham). God has chosen to use this nation to show Himself to the world. Whatever they or anyone else may think, they were created for that very purpose. That's why I want to focus on acquiring the Hebrew language. God has chosen this language to express His heart to the world. These 66 books were either written in Hebrew or in Greek (or Aramaic) with the Hebrew ideas in mind.

I think it's wonderful that I can pick the Bible up and read it in English, and I need it that way, but since I have the opportunity, I want to dig deeper. In this way I hope to learn my heavenly Father more deeply, appreciate Jesus more intimately, understand the Holy Spirit more accurately, teach the Believers more effectively, and grow closer into who God desires me to be.

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